News

Skill Connect Assessments

SkillsUSA will soon offer industry-driven knowledge and skill assessments in 46 diverse technical areas that correspond to many career cluster areas.

What does this mean for instructors?  SkillsUSA working on assessments based on industry standards that will meet your needs and fulfill Perkins IV requirements for student achievement in CTE programs.

This spring, eight of the 46 technical assessments will be
available online with simulations and features that deliver a reliable
assessment for CTE students.  As more assessments are
developed, they will be housed in an online system that provides technical assistance, student progress tracking and even provides the opportunity for instructor feedback on the assessments. 

We’ve used an innovative approach and a comprehensive team of industry and education experts to ensure the validity of our assessments.  Sign up for one of two sessions that will explain more about the Skill Connect Assessments, including a timeline of availability and our competitive pricing. 

SkillsUSA Work Force Ready System

The SkillsUSA Work Force Ready System recognizes young people for their achievements in preparing for their careers and helps instructors test and demonstrate their students' entry-level technical proficiency. The system helps instructors prove the benefit of their programs, and most importantly, helps young people find rewarding careers. 

Originally supported by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Work Force Ready System helps connect skilled workers to rewarding careers through four components:  Skill Point Certificate, Skill Connect Assessments, Skill Connect Portfolio and Skill Connect Excelerator. 

Industry and Education Standards: Different Paths to Common Goals?

Career and technical education has always served two masters: public education and employers in industry. Both education and industry are concerned with the preparation of students and both are interested in outcomes, but oftentimes from different angles.  National education and industry experts gathered in Kansas City during the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference to discuss these key issues, including current education and industry standards for work force development, work force needs of small and large businesses, the role of training in business, education policy requirements regarding assessments and validation and use of assessments by employers. 

Read what the expert panelists shared at our policy forum.

Sign up today!

Learn more about the Skill Connect Assessments and our development process from SkillsUSA Executive Director Tim Lawrence and two of our development experts. Register today for the WebEx session:

Click here to register for the session on
Monday, December 10 at 3pm EST

"[Technical] assessments reveal nothing unless they are integrated into an educational delivery system. In terms of who leads that process, clearly it needs to be a public/private partnership."

-Tim Horst, President of Becon Construction

SkillsUSA is proud to introduce a new initiative to serve education, industry, and most importantly, students. We’re building our American work force together with online assessments, supported by industry and education, in 46 technical and two employability areas. As you consider the allocation of your Perkins IV funding, know that SkillsUSA has a 40-year history of building champions, and our online assessments have that same commitment.

We built our assessments with guidance from independent research conducted in the spring of this year with CTE directors, state administrators and CTE instructors nationwide. Educators gave us the big picture of CTE assessments, and we’re working to address the needs they identified.

We are excited about our entire Work Force Ready System, and particularly the Skill Connect Assessments launching this spring. We look forward to hearing from you and working together to connect skilled workers to meaningful careers.